U.S. national team midfielder Robbie Rogers, currently a free agent, stunned American soccer on Friday with a blog post entitled "The Next Chapter" that revealed that he is gay and "stepping away" from the game at only 25 years of age.

"Things are never what they seem. My whole life I have felt different, different from my peers, even different from my family," Rogers began. He then went on to detail the "internal damage" caused by the weight of carrying a close-held secret and the conflict he felt trying to come to terms with his own identity and his relationship with his family and with God.

Robbie Rogers, right, challenges David Beckham. (AP Photo)

"Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently," he wrote. "I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined."

But Rogers discovered that he was hiding too much of himself for too long.

"Now is my time to step away," he concluded. "It's time to discover myself away from football. It's 1 a.m. in London as I write this, and I could not be happier with my decision. Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest. Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear.

"My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended."

Rogers was born in Southern California, attended the University of Maryland and represented the U.S. at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

He spent part of a season at Dutch club Heerenveen after leaving school and then returned to the U.S. to play for the Columbus Crew, where he had five productive years. A mobile midfielder with good attacking instincts, he won an MLS Cup in 2008, two Supporters Shield titles and a spot on the 2008 MLS Best 11.

He left MLS for England's Leeds United last winter but struggled with injuries (a concussion and then an ankle) and was sent on loan to third-tier Stevenage in August. Last month, his Leeds contract was canceled by mutual consent.

Rogers played 18 times for the senior U.S. national team. He was one of the final cuts from the 2010 World Cup squad and scored two international goals, including the first goal of coach Jurgen Klinsmann's tenure in a 1-1 draw with Mexico in 2011.